New Summer Orange & Cherry Blossoms

Although Kawazu-machi (Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan) is most famous for its Kawazu-Zakura Cherry Blossom Festival, this area of the Izu Peninsula is also known for its vast variety of citrus fruit. Next to the cherry tree blossoms, you can see several orchards growing different varieties of oranges and Japanese oranges (mikan).

The town is home to the Izu Orange Center, which sells hundreds of orange and mikan related products. Kawazu-machi in particular is known for a new hybrid variety of citrus called New Summer Oranges or Hyuganatsu. This variety of orange looks like an orange but features a strong sweet-and-sour aroma and tastes like a cross between a grapefruit and Japanese lemon (yuzu).